


The Reporter and the Angel

by Zetal (Rodinia)



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angels are Superheroes, M/M, Reporter Sam, Superhero Castiel, superhero au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-10
Updated: 2016-07-29
Packaged: 2018-07-22 16:34:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 20,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7446112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rodinia/pseuds/Zetal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Angels appeared when Sam was just a kid.  Which was useful, because a lot of bad guys showed up around the same time - Demons, monsters, and people inspired to grander heights of planning mass murders.</p><p>Sam became a reporter, and was out on a story when Demons attacked the building he was in.  The Angels swooped in and rescued everyone trapped in the building.  Sam was rescued by Castiel, a somewhat reclusive Angel no one knew much about.  At his boss's insistence, Sam reached out and asked for an interview.  To his extreme surprise, Castiel said yes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Reaching Out

_Dear Castiel,_

_You probably don’t remember me. My name is Sam Winchester, and you saved my life a few days ago. I was in the Shurley building when Lilith took it out._

 

Of course Castiel remembered. It was his specialty, being the first one into burning buildings and reaching out. His power was detecting souls, which let him know how many people were in there, whose injuries were too severe for them to be saved. He directed his brothers and sisters to where they were most needed. The group had established procedures – emergencies first, then children or anyone who needed a little extra assistance, then whoever was left. Castiel only ever took one person out – the last one who could be saved.

He was well-practiced in making his choices. Often, there just wasn’t time to think about it, to consider who he wanted to be in his arms when he left and the press started taking their pictures. It was nearly always someone in their 20s to early 40s, in good physical shape, relatively unwounded. So Castiel and his rescuee were fairly reliable in making for photogenic subjects, and the press loved publishing those shots.

Sam had been different. He’d chosen to take Sam himself, last, before he’d even chosen who to direct the first angel in to rescue. No one had questioned it, Sam certainly fit the profile of a last survivor by the angel protocols. Castiel had wrestled with the decision about whether to confess, but in the end, he kept quiet. It’s not like there was anyone who didn’t get saved because he’d wanted to be the one to save Sam.

 

_Anyway, I’m a reporter, and now that I’m back at work, my boss is insisting I write a series of articles. What it was like being in the building, about the Angels in general. Which is only fair, it’s news, and that’s my job. But he wants me to write about you. I know you hate talking to reporters and hate having the spotlight, so I fully expect and support you telling me to go away and never contact you again. But I have to ask: if I promise to keep it as minimally invasive as possible, would you give me an interview?_

 

Castiel sighed. Of course he’d choose a reporter, the one time he actually chose someone. At least Sam seemed to be aware that he was asking for quite the imposition.

 

_I honestly can’t remember if I said it or not that day, so in case I didn’t: thank you for saving me. I can’t imagine what this country would be like without you and your teammates._

_Sam Winchester_

 

Castiel’s first instinct was to completely ignore the email, and the second instinct was to reply with a no. It’s how he always handled reporters. But there was a small part, just big enough to where Castiel couldn’t ignore it, that wanted to see Sam again, and this would be a good excuse.

Still, a long-standing policy of caution was also impossible to ignore. Thankfully, there was Google. Castiel could find other articles of Sam’s that could have involved interviews. There was no way to tell how he behaved during the interview, but skimming through Sam’s writing left Castiel with the impression of a journalist devoted to the truth, and weren’t they all, but also to portraying his subjects with respect. He brought up faults when relevant, but it seemed that Sam respected boundaries.

 

_Dear Mr. Winchester,_

_I am not accustomed to interviews. If you will forgive me if I do something I shouldn’t, or if I must leave suddenly for work, then I am willing to speak with you. When and where would you like to meet?_

_Castiel_

 

When Sam turned in his article about his experience with the Shurley building, Bobby was pleased. “What’s up next?”

“Well, I’ve reached out to Castiel, but I really don’t expect him to even bother to answer me. So I’m going to start on the Angels. Maybe I can slip some questions about Castiel in there, but you know they protect him.”

Bobby rolled his eyes. “Castiel likes you, boy. You’ll get your interview. Out of that whole building, he picked you to save.”

“I’m a low-priority rescue. If you’re right, I’ll ask him how he picks the order, but I seriously doubt he picked me because he likes me.” Like a lot of people, Sam had spent some – okay, a lot of – time fantasizing about being rescued by an angel. Sam had usually imagined Gabriel, because of the glittering golden wings, or Castiel. He couldn’t ever say why he was particularly drawn to Castiel. No one knew anything about him, and in the fifteen years the Angels had been around, he couldn’t find any documented case of Castiel using a halo.

Actually being rescued had been an experience Sam could never have been prepared for. Even Dean’s teasing about seeing an angel carrying a moose couldn’t take away the memory of being carried by something that powerful. He’d never have dared send the email if it weren’t for Bobby’s insistence. So when he opened his email to find that Castiel had agreed, he could have died from the shock.


	2. The Interview

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam meets with Castiel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgot to check the "multiple chapters" box. Whoops. Sorry to anyone who was confused by the lack of tagged characters in what appeared to be a completed fic yesterday!
> 
> Also, I realized after rereading today's chapter to check for continuity errors/spelling/formatting that there was a very short scene that fit better with chapter 1, so you might want to go back and read that.

The meeting was arranged for the next afternoon, in the Angel offices. Castiel was incredibly nervous. Balthazar tried to coach him, but all it did was make him even more anxious about the whole thing. The truth was, Castiel’s people skills were rusty. At best. He had no idea how to have a conversation that wasn’t about work or something very specific.

Sam was a little early, and had already set up his recorder and laptop by the time Castiel arrived. “My apologies, I didn’t mean to keep you waiting.”

Sam stood up with a smile. “I’m early. If you show up early and don’t expect to have to wait, that kinda makes you an asshole.” He held out a hand, which Castiel took in both of his for the shake. “Thank you for agreeing to this. If at any time a question makes you uncomfortable or you just don’t want to answer, feel free to say so and I’ll find a different one. I know you don’t like reporters.”

“I have no problem with reporters. They have a job to do, just like I do. I have a problem with disrespectful people who don’t understand that others have the right to say no when asked to answer a question.”

Sam laughed. “Okay, well, I’ll try not to do that.”

“Before we start, is there anything that would make you more comfortable? Coffee, water, snacks?”

“The guy who brought me back here said he’d bring me some coffee. He, um, also threatened me with severe bodily harm if I was rude to you, but I’m pretty sure he was mostly kidding.”

That had to be Balthazar. “I apologize for him. He’s very protective.”

“From what I’ve seen, they all are. It must be nice, working with a group of people who care about you enough to have your back like that.”

“That’s not why.” It would be nice if it were, but Castiel knew the truth. “Some, yes. Balthazar for one. But most of them shield me from the press because I’m flawed. I hope this ends up being usable to you, but I am terrible at giving quotable statements and delivering the propaganda typical of this organization.”

Sam raised an eyebrow. “Really? Huh. That’s… that makes sense.”

The door opened and Balthazar brought in two coffees, one for Castiel and one for Sam. “Good luck, Cassie.” He ducked back out with a warning gesture to Sam.

“Please don’t tell anyone that some of them call me Cassie. They do it just to annoy me.”

Sam grinned conspiratorially. “Not a word. My brother calls me Sammy, but he's the only one I'd ever let get away with that.”

“All right. What do you want to know?”

Castiel was fully prepared for Sam to ask why he’d been chosen to be the last rescue, so it threw him off when Sam didn’t ask that. “Okay. Quick rundown of what everyone knows about you, and if something’s wrong, feel free to correct me. Your Angel name is Castiel, you’re one of the founding members of the Angels but you’re one of the youngest of the founders. The ability that sets you apart from the others is that you can read souls, which you use to direct search-and-rescue missions when you can. If there’s no search and rescue, you’re a skilled fighter and can stand one-on-one against most of the demons and monsters you guys come up against.”

“Most. I’ve overestimated my abilities before and had to be bailed out.”

“I’m sure it happens to everyone once in a while.”

“Not Michael.” And Michael never let any soldier forget it when he had to send someone to bail them out.

“Well, Michael’s hardly a fair standard for you to hold yourself to, don’t you think?”

“Perhaps. Everything else sounded right.”

Sam nodded. “So, the soul reading… how does that work? I mean, what can you learn about a person from reading their soul?”

“Quite a bit. It’s one reason people are likely to be uncomfortable around me, souls can’t lie and I can learn a lot about a person in just a few seconds. I try to keep it brief and to the point – the status of injuries, general health condition aside from that, anything else I need to know to determine who to direct my brothers and sisters to. But with time and concentration, I can learn pretty much everything about a person’s nature. And sometimes a soul broadcasts something so strongly that I can’t help but pick it up. On rare occasions, even when I’m actively shielding myself.”

Sam's pencil flew as he took notes. “So you can turn it off, so to speak?”

“No." Although he wished he could sometimes. "What I can do is create a shield that limits my capabilities to very short-range. When this first developed, I was hospitalized twice because the constant input left me unable to function in the world. The second hospitalization is where I met Gabriel, who brought me into the team he was building with the other leaders and helped me develop the shielding technique.”

“When you say very short-range, how short do you mean?”

“I can’t read you right now unless I drop my shield.”

Sam chuckled. “That wasn’t actually why I asked, but thank you. So pretty much within your personal bubble?”

Castiel considered, thinking about where people usually stood relative to each other. “Yes, that seems like a reasonable estimate. Not quite touch range, but not much farther.”

“How do you make the calls on prioritizing rescue? We all know that you save those who need immediate rescue first, and then whoever needs the most assistance, but if you’ve got ten people who are in stable condition and reasonable health, how do you decide who to direct to first?”

This question, Castiel had figured out how to answer as soon as he agreed to the interview. He hoped it would be enough. “At this point, it’s mostly instinct. I don’t think about it, I just direct. When I first started, I tried to actually make thought-out judgments, but I found it slowed the process down. Not by much, we think quickly, but enough. If there are special considerations to take into account – for instance, an abuse survivor who would likely be more comfortable with one of my sisters – I’ve gotten pretty good at processing those. Other than that, it’s a matter of proximity, nature and extent of injuries, difficulty in getting to the person - which is more difficult to predict, since I rarely see much of the building.”

“What happens if you make a mistake?”

“That depends on the nature and extent of the mistake. If I misread a person’s injuries as less severe than they are, they could be left at risk for longer, but if I overestimate the injuries, that means someone else was put at risk. It’s a delicate balance. Depending on who’s in charge of the mission, I may face disciplinary action if they deem the error of judgment too great. That rarely happens, though. Most of the time, my superiors recognize that the job I do is incredibly difficult and that I'm not perfect.”

“What kind of disciplinary action?”

“Usually, they just yell, or write me up for the permanent file. Those don’t bother me at all. They don’t have anyone else who can do what I do, so they’re not going to kick me out because I overestimated the rate of blood loss on one person when there were a hundred people in the area. For more serious mistakes, they might restrict my activities or require me to perform community service.”

Sam laughed. “Community service? Isn't pretty much everything you guys do community service?”

“Yes, which is why requiring more of us is such an effective punishment for certain people. Visiting sick children in hospitals, volunteering at homeless shelters, in my case they usually send me to clean up debris and pollution somewhere so that I don’t have to deal with people. Depending on the exact nature, this can be done as Castiel, or as my old human identity. I usually choose the latter, so that I’m not recognized by the media.”

“That would explain why we don’t hear about it more often.”

“For particularly serious mistakes, or if they believe that I acted deliberately to place bystanders in jeopardy, there are more serious consequences. I would prefer not to speak of those.”

Sam nodded. “Fair enough. You said Gabriel was the one who found you… do you know how he did?”

“Many times, those with latent powers end up either in mental hospitals or jails. Lucifer went through prison records, Raphael in search of those who managed to gain enough control and discreetness on their own to avoid being put away, and Gabriel went through the hospitals. They said it was because he was half mad already, so he could tell the difference between true mental illness and people in distress because of uncontrolled abilities, like me. Now that we're out there, potential cases of latent powers are referred to us for evaluation, but occasionally the Archangels still go out in search of those who are missed.”

“So some of the Angels have prison records?”

“Some, yes. I won’t say which. Please understand that the Angels with prison records were vetted quite thoroughly and given a chance to prove themselves. Many were model citizens, until their powers began to develop, and the crimes leading to their incarceration were not exactly their fault. The strength we have, some of the powers angels have, someone who would throw a punch at a friend for being an asshole could end up seriously harming or even killing that friend. That sort of thing.”

Sam accepted that easily and changed the subject. “Other than for search and rescue, do you ever drop your shield?”

“I used to have to drop it to sleep, which meant that I rarely slept well. Having the quiet during my waking hours and the noise when I was asleep is the opposite of how it’s supposed to work." That was part of the reason he'd been hospitalized twice. It was bad enough awake, but having souls screaming in his head as he slept meant he was suffering sleep-deprivation. "As I got more practice shielding myself, I learned to maintain it subconsciously enough that I could keep it up in my sleep. Sometimes, if Michael thinks a soul reading could help on an assignment, he’ll ask me. If it’s just one person, it’s easier to do through touch than dropping the shield, but if there are multiple people involved, I turn off the shield.”

“Makes sense. Do you think that your power is why you’re so protective of your privacy? I mean, you can’t help it, before your shield you were in people’s heads all the time.”

“Perhaps, but I was like this as a child, before the powers developed.”

“So it’s just who you are, then. Do you read the press about you, or about the Angels, at all?”

“Sometimes. I read your writeup of the rescue, and I plan to read anything further you publish. Most of the time, though, publicity about me ends up being silly.”

Sam laughed. “Yeah, I imagine reading tabloid headline of ‘Castiel’s New Love?’ every time you rescue someone gets old. Even my boss does it – he was absolutely sure you’d talk to me because you rescued me. I don’t know why you chose me, but I really doubt it’s what the tabloids are gonna say for the next couple weeks unless something disrupts the news cycle.”

Here it came. Castiel had an answer prepared, but he wasn't going to just offer it. “You aren’t curious?”

“Of course I am, but does it matter? If you hadn’t saved me, another angel would have and you would have saved someone else. If me being saved meant someone else had been left to die, then I might want some answers to help with the survivor’s guilt, but I’m perfectly happy to accept your explanation of instincts putting me at the end of the line because I was mostly fine, just trapped, and fairly close to a usable exit once you got me free.” Sam tapped his pen a few times. “I do have one question… you said that sometimes souls broadcast things that you can’t help but pick up on. Was I broadcasting anything?”

“You were.” Castiel hadn't been prepared for that question at all, he was so focused on the worry about having to explain his reasoning. He thought back, trying to work out the best way to describe what he'd felt. “It’s usually not a message, or a signal. In most cases, it’s a strong trait, or a strong wound that’s scarred the soul – again, going back to the abuse survivor, that sort of fear leaves a mark. With you, you were broadcasting a sense of goodness, of strength of conviction.”

“That’s… not what I was expecting." Sam flashed a quick grin. "You’re sure it was me?”

“Of course I’m sure, Sam. It’s a very difficult mistake to make.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to a remote location to immerse myself in nerdy stuff like stars and planets and awesomeness. Internet access is available, but I don't know how much time/access I'll actually have, so updating and reading/responding to comments may be spotty for the next few days.


	3. Dealing with Fans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam's a little famous. Mostly, it's harmless and fun. But it can be scary, too, and Sam gets to deal with some of the darker aspects. But his big brother's on the case, so it's all good.
> 
> Meanwhile, Castiel talks to Balthazar, who offers him advice for dealing with a member of the press. Or a fan. Or whatever.

From there, the interview was fairly standard: memorable missions, what Castiel did between missions. Somehow Sam had never thought of the Angels watching television like everyone else. Contrary to Sam’s expectations, Castiel had been quite forthcoming, and he’d learned more about the Angel in an hour than anyone else had in the fifteen years the Angels had been active.

The question was how much of it to put out there. He could easily write three articles out of it all. He decided, for the first article, to talk about the Angel, fitting Castiel into the framework of what people already knew about the Angels as an organization. That one, he submitted to Bobby as soon as he had it written. That way he couldn’t accidentally submit the more personal ones.

He was halfway through writing an article about Castiel’s soul reading when the phone rang. “See you managed to get an interview with Castiel,” Bobby said.

Sam laughed. Bobby calling to rub it in was not at all unexpected. “Yeah, but you’re wrong about why he picked me. It was just a matter of logistics and triage.”

“Bull. He likes you.”

“He likes my writing enough to give me a chance to write about him. That’s different from liking me.” It was. And it made enough sense that Sam wasn't going to look too deeply into it.

He could practically hear Bobby's eyeroll. “Whatever. Pretty sure the guy likes you. Looking forward to reading more, Sam. Tell Dean I said hi, he should be getting home pretty soon.”

The door slammed, and Sam peeked out of his office. “Okay, that’s just creepy. Dean just walked in. Bye, Bobby.” Sam hung up the phone and went out to meet his brother. “Bobby said to say hi.”

“What did I miss?” Dean handed Sam a stack of envelopes. “Obviously something pretty big. Demon attack?”

“Yeah… the Angels sorted it out, but it’s gonna take some time to fix up the damage.” Sam took his mail back to his office, Dean following. He chuckled when he opened the first one. It was a fangirl's request for information about Castiel. “Oh, I’m a local celebrity for the next few days, just so you know. Castiel rescued me from the Shurley building.”

“Thus the fan mail.” Dean took a seat on Sam’s desk, a habit Sam had long since given up trying to break Dean of. “Castiel, huh? What’s he like up close?”

“He’s kind of amazing. Like, in the pictures, he kinda looks like a tax accountant, right?”

Dean snorted. “Except for the bigass wings, yeah, I guess.”

“In person, there’s this aura about him. Powerful, strong, you’re not going to mistake him for a mild-mannered tax accountant unless he wants you to. But he’s a pretty nice guy.”

“Yeah, you can always tell how nice a guy is when he carries you out of a building.” Dean nodded knowingly.

Sam's hands shook a little as he finished reading the letter he was holding. “Hey, uh, Dean? You don’t have to go back out right away, do you?” Dean traveled a lot. Bobby hated to leave town, so anything out of town that the newspaper needed done, he sent Dean.

“No, barring crisis I’m home for a few days. Why?”

Sam handed over the letter he’d just opened. “It’s not the first one that yelled at me for stealing ‘their’ angel, but it is the first one that’s actually sounded like it might be a credible threat. And it came from nearby.”

Dean took the letter and read through it quickly. “Right. Because Bobby would even try to send me out of town when someone’s threatening you.” Dean set the letter aside. “What about the others?”

“The others are just people whining because now I’m a member of the ‘saved by Castiel’ club and since I’m the shiny new member, I’m getting the attention.” Sam turned his laptop toward Dean. “They’re really gonna hate me when they realize I actually got to talk to the guy afterwards.”

“Wait, what? You talked to him? Like, reporter interview?” Dean grinned. “I always knew you had something special. You got _Castiel_ to talk to you?”

“Oh, don’t you start. I’m getting enough of that from Bobby.” Sam opened the last of the mail. “Not bad. Some ‘oh my god you’re hot’, some ‘I hate you forever’, only the one threat.”

 

_Dear Mr. Winchester,_

_I read the article about me in today’s paper. I assume you’re planning to write more, since a great deal of our discussion was left out. If you have further questions, please feel free to contact me._

Castiel paused in writing the email and glanced back at the article. He’d been very surprised at how little of what he and Sam had discussed was in it. To his even bigger surprise, he’d been disappointed at just how impersonal it was. Sam had promised to be respectful of his privacy, but he’d assumed Sam would know that he could use whatever questions Castiel chose to answer.

Balthazar came by with a smirk and a cup of coffee. “So you survived the media hounding. Well done.”

“It wasn’t media hounding, it was a single reporter doing his job. I liked him.”

“Clearly.” Balthazar looked at the stack of fan mail. “Anything good yet?”

“No, just the usual. We’re not all media darlings like you. How many proposals did you get today?”

“Only two. Clearly, my charm is slipping.” Balthazar dropped the smirk and reached out to put a hand on Castiel’s shoulder. “If you ever do find yourself over your head, or need advice on handling media or fans, you know I’m here for you.”

“I know. And it’s appreciated.”

“What do you want me to tell the others about answering questions about you? Nothing’s changed just because you talked to one reporter you’ve got a crush on?”

“Nothing’s chang… wait.” Castiel looked up from the email. “Reporter I’ve got a crush on? What are you talking about?”

“Sam. You’ve got a crush on Sam,” Balthazar said in the patient, kind voice one uses for explaining things to a particularly difficult three-year-old.

“I do not. Michael doesn’t think that, does he?” If Michael suspected he was making decisions based on personal desires, it would not be pretty. He’d seen what happened to his brothers and sisters who were punished for that.

Balthazar’s smirk came back. “Oh, Michael thinks that.” Castiel’s heart sank as he reached to delete the email. There was absolutely no reason for further contact, not if it would get him in trouble, not if Sam could be caught in the crossfire. “He said, and I quote, ‘It’s about time Castiel remembered he’s allowed to be human sometimes too.’”

“What?” Castiel’s thumb hovered over the confirmation on deleting the email. “But…”

“You’re the only one of us who’s all business, all the time. The only time you go human is when you’re on some kind of punishment and you’re looking to avoid media attention. The rest of us, we go out, have fun, blow off steam. You didn’t endanger anyone by picking Sam over whoever that woman I carried out next to last was. You didn’t endanger anyone by agreeing to talk to him.” Balthazar glanced at Castiel’s tablet and the smirk grew. “If you need advice on how to score a date…”

“I’m not asking you. I’ve seen the kind of dates you have, and I have absolutely no interest in that.” Castiel canceled deleting the email. “And along the lines of no interest, what makes you think Sam would be interested in me? He’s no groupie.”

“Never said he was interested in you. Just offered to help you get the chance to interest him. But hey, if you don’t want my help…” Balthazar shrugged and started to walk off. “Good luck with that.”

Castiel pressed send.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I return! A little sunburned, a lot impressed. I got to DRIVE THE HOBBY-EBERLY TELESCOPE. You have no idea how happy this makes me. One day I will stop fangirling over it, but I don't foresee that happening any time in the near future.
> 
> Daily updates will resume now, except Sunday, when I get to go fangirl with my grandfather over my trip.


	4. Angels in Your Corner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a second threat against Sam, Dean kicks into high alert.

Sam could have died of shock when he got Castiel’s email. He’d just assumed that contact was over and he’d only hear from Castiel again if he wrote something Cas would have rather he not. He still didn’t believe the theory that Castiel had any particular interest in him, but maybe he thought having a professional relationship with a reporter would help with the media pressure.

_Dear Castiel,_  
_Yes, the plan is to write at least two more. I’ve attached the files, if you want me to change something let me know. Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity._  
_Sam_

Dean came in with the mail and Victor Henriksen, a friend of his who worked for the police. “Sammy, I brought Vic over to take a look at the threat from yesterday. Okay?”

“Yeah, sure.” Sam took the stack of mail and began opening letters.

Victor cleared his throat. “Dean said you got some other letters that read like hate mail. Would you mind if I took a look at those, too?”

“Go right ahead. Dean knows where they are. I’ll give you anything from here I find once I’ve got it all open unless it’s really scary.” He opened the next one and laughed. “Asking me to marry her isn’t something I should be on the lookout for, is it?”

“Might want to forward it to a psychiatrist, why would anyone want to marry you?” Dean shot back.

“Request for an interview from the TV people, ‘Castiel is mine back off’, ‘you and Castiel are such a cute couple, do you have a brother?” Sam looked over to where Dean and Victor were working. “Want me to write back to that one with your phone number, Dean?”

Dean raised an eyebrow. “They relatively local?”

Sam checked the envelope. He hadn't actually meant it, but if Dean was curious, why the hell not? “Live here in the city.”

“Sure, why not? What’s the name?”

“Charlie Patterson.”

“Okay.”

Victor shook his head. “You know Charlie’s gonna turn out to be some kind of creep, right?”

“Or not. Good things do happen, you know, Vic,” Dean said.

“Not in my experience.”

“You’re a cop who works death threats.” Sam came over with the letter he’d just opened. “Another one. Different name and address, but it reads similarly.”

Victor looked it over quickly. “Similar handwriting, too. Have to get an expert to look at it, but could be the same guy.”

“Okay. Officially a little scared, now.” Sam went back to the mail. There were only a couple letters left. “Holy shit, this is from Gabriel.”

“Yeah? The Gabriel?” Dean came over to look.

Sam opened the envelope and burst into laughter. “So You Were Saved By Castiel! What’s next for you?” he read from the enclosed card. “Number one: you will probably never see him again. Number two: He is not your new boyfriend.”

“Well, he’s already wrong about number one.” Dean grinned evilly and Sam threw the card at him. “What? You did see him again!”

“Just shut up.” Sam opened the last letter. Credit card offer. “That’s it, Victor. You’ve got everything from today.”

“All right. Mind if I take it down to the station for professional analysis?” 

“Be my guest.”

 

When Castiel finished reading the second of the two articles Sam had sent him, he felt much better about the initial article’s impersonality. He’d noted a few clarifications to send Sam, but overall, he enjoyed them a great deal. When he opened his email to respond, though, he saw another email from Sam, with no subject. That made him curious.

_Castiel  
Not really a way to prove this over email, but my name’s Dean Winchester and Sam’s my little brother. Thought you might be interested to know there’s an active police investigation into threats he’s been mailed since you saved him. Sam said I shouldn’t bug you with this and refused to give me your email, so I hacked his account. I’m doing everything I can to keep my brother safe._

Castiel ran out of the room, looking for Balthazar. Naturally, his friend was drunk. “I need your help.”

“Decided to go for the date after all, eh, Cassie?” Balthazar winked at Hannah. “Told you our little Castiel was finally growing up.”

Castiel rolled his eyes. Balthazar was ridiculous. “It’s not a date. Someone’s threatening Sam.”

Balthazar leaned back in his chair, shaking his head with an amused smirk. “Of course they are. He’s the shiny new boytoy you’ve been spotted with, some of the old ones are jealous. Happens to all of us. The people we rescue think they have a special connection to us, and when someone new butts into that…”

“Do they always get the police involved?”

The smirk disappeared and Balthazar’s chair settled back on the ground. “No. How can we help?”

“I don’t know. People get harassed because they were saved? Why?” Castiel had never heard anything about this.

“People are crazy.” Hannah got to her feet. “I’ll go inform Michael that we’ve got a situation. He hates it when people do this. Don’t worry about Sam. Angels will watch over him.”

 

Sam stormed down the hallway to the kitchen. “Dean, what the hell did you do?”

Dean looked up from the burgers he was shaping. “Lots of things, little brother. Gonna need a little more context to guess which one I’m supposed to be confessing to this time.”

“I told you, there was no reason to bug Castiel about the threatening letters! It’s not his fault he has crazy fans, and what’s he supposed to do about it, harass the mailman? Victor’s working on it, which means he’s told Jody and she’s got her entire squad on high alert. Do you have that little faith in your friends?”

“Sam. It’s your safety. Did you really think there was a chance in hell I wasn’t calling in every resource I could think of? I already called Donna, her team’s on alert, too.” Dean put the leftover beef in the freezer for later. “Cas likes you. Get him on the case of keeping you safe, and you’re gonna be the safest person in this town.”

“You didn’t just get Castiel involved. Victor’s got a new partner on the investigation, one of the Angels, there’ll be Angels watching the house and the newspaper, and I’ve got Castiel’s freaking phone number in case something happens when I’m not at either place!”

Dean paused in washing his hands, cracking up. “Whoa. Back up there. Castiel gave you his phone number? And you still think this is just business?”

Sam crossed his arms, glaring at Dean. “Shut up. It _is_ business. Because apparently Michael decided to make my personal safety the mission of every Angel in the city.”

“And the Angels have a hotline you could put on speed dial, but instead, Cas gave you his phone number and instructions to call him specifically if you needed help. Can’t wait to tell Bobby! If you want vegetables for your burger, you might want to slice some.”

“If I slice enough for you will you eat them?” Sam went to the refrigerator. “And Castiel feels responsible for this because he’s the one who rescued me, which is why I’m in danger.”

“Yes, mother, I will eat a vegetable. Speaking of Bobby, you submitted your next article yet?”

“Not yet, got a couple edits to make on it thanks to some…” Sam sighed. Dean was going to be an ass about this, too. “Castiel clarified a couple things I’d gotten a little off and I’d like to fix those before submitting.”

Dean cackled. “This is going to be awesome once you get your head out of your ass.”


	5. Death Threat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The threats escalate. Dean freaks out and Sam suffers the consequences.

Victor came by around mail delivery time the next day, with his new partner, who he introduced as Alfie. “Don’t worry about disturbing the Angels, Sam,” Victor added. “Michael does this every time someone gets threatened. Alfie and I have worked together a lot.”

Alfie held out his hand, which Sam shook. “I’m not much for combat, but investigation I can do. If you’ve heard of me, it’s as Samandriel. You can call me either. Alfie’s shorter.”

Dean brought in the mail. There was a lot more of it today. The four of them opened envelope after envelope, finding about the same proportion of hate mail to normal as before. This time, though, the biggest threat mentioned killing Sam, not just hurting him. “Michael and Castiel will want to hear about this.” Alfie pulled out his phone.

Victor nodded. “We haven’t had much luck in figuring out who’s sending the notes – no fingerprints, the perp used a sponge to wet the stamp and seal the envelope so no DNA. But our analyst says it’s likely to be the same person and showed me what to look for, and this is probably our guy. This is normally the point where I’d assign a security detail to you, but I think the Angels have it covered.”

“Sam, you’re gonna hate me for this, but I don’t want you going anywhere alone.” Dean reached for his phone. “I’m gonna call Bobby and let him know what’s going on. This is escalating, Sam, and I don’t wanna take the chance that it stays as harmless as a guy with a pen and a big mouth and a tough front.”

“You’re putting me on lockdown?” Sam looked to Victor. “That’s not necessary, is it? Isn’t it letting him win if I don’t live my life?”

“I don’t think lockdown’s necessary, just take Dean with you if you go somewhere. Or call Castiel and get an Angel with you.”

Sam exhaled loudly. “Yeah. ‘Hey, Castiel, I need to go to the store for some milk, can you get someone over here to escort me there?’ That’ll be a fun conversation.”

“Of course, we know it’d be Castiel who showed up.” Dean raised his eyebrows at Sam. “Sam, if you don’t take this as the perfect excuse to ask the guy out…”

“You’re an idiot.” Sam got up from the table. “We’re really doing this? I can’t leave the house without a chaperone?”

Alfie had come back in just in time to hear that. “Castiel recommended the same thing. He said to call him whenever you needed someone.”

“Great.”

Dean caught Sam’s wrist as he turned to storm away. “Hey. Sam. There’s someone who knows where you live, what you look like, and wants to hurt or kill you. Give Vic and Alfie a chance to track down the bad guy here, okay? We’re not doing this to personally make your life difficult, we’re doing this to protect you.”

“I know. Still sucks." Sam let out a huge sigh and glared at his brother. "And the constant teasing about Castiel is not helping, Dean.”

“You never get this way when I tease you about other people. I’m curious, and I have a stick, so I’m poking the weird. So come on, little brother. What’s different about this teasing compared to the time I kept teasing you about that guy at the library? What was his name, Brady?”

“One, Brady was a complete douchebag once you got to know him. Two, nobody was threatening me at the time. Except Brady once he realized you thought I had a crush on him. For the record, I thought he was hot, but I never had a crush on him.”

“So… you do have a crush on Castiel,” Dean said. Sam did his best to keep from slapping him. “I’m telling you, Cas likes you! Do something about it!”

“That’s what everyone’s saying back at Angel HQ,” Alfie offered. “His best friend is talking about how he always knew Castiel had a soft marshmallow center after all.”

Dean’s teasing was just that, teasing. But Alfie? Alfie had no reason to be teasing him. Still, maybe Castiel’s best friend was just messing with him the way Dean was messing with Sam. It was more likely than Castiel liking him the way Dean was implying.


	6. Sam Doesn't Like Being on Lockdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam's going crazy, so Dean and Cas come up with a plan to get him out of the house. After mail call.

Castiel couldn’t keep his mind on the monitoring job he was working, keeping an eye on known demon hotspots. Michael had tried to put him on emergency alert only, his only duty to respond if Sam called for help, but Castiel had rebelled after only four hours of that. Sam was not going to call him unless there was an actual immediate threat, and he needed something to do besides staring at his phone.

So when his phone did ring, Castiel was surprised. “Hello?”

“Hi.” It wasn’t Sam. Castiel looked at the caller ID – it was Sam’s number, but the voice was wrong. “This is Dean. Sam’s brother.”

That explained it. “Hello, Dean. What’s wrong?”

“Sam’s going nuts. We’ve tried telling him he’s not on lockdown, he can go wherever he wants, as long as he takes someone with him, but then Bobby told him he was working from home until this was settled, and now he’s basically locked himself in his room refusing to go anywhere. He’s stopped listening to me, I can’t even get three words out of an offer to go somewhere with him without him telling me to shut up and leave him alone. Was wondering if maybe you could get him to go somewhere before he goes completely nuts.”

“I can try. I have a plan. You’ll have to return his phone to him, though.”

There was a pause and some muffled conversation Castiel chose to not be able to hear, and then Sam came on. “Look, Dean’s an idiot, I’m fine, really.”

“I’m sure you are, but if you’d like to get out of the house, I have an idea. Come to Angel Headquarters. You’d have to have an Angel escort anyway, your family and friends can’t possibly worry about you when you’re surrounded by Angels and our security features, and please don’t take offense at this but you’re more likely to find something to write about here than you are at your home. It would be about as normal as things can possibly be for you right now.”

There was silence on the line, and then Sam’s shocked voice, “Are you serious? No one’s ever gotten to write about Angel HQ.”

“I’m serious. There are some things you would be asked not to write about, to help maintain the security, but I’ve already spoken to Michael and he’s agreed to let you come, as long as you stay with me.” It was only a little bit of a lie. When Castiel had asked permission that morning, Michael had said as long as he was with an Angel at all times. It was Castiel insisting that it be him.

“Wow. Yeah. I’d… I would love that. Dean’s still an idiot, but yes.”

“Good. Do you mind flying, or should I arrange other transportation?”

“Flying’s fine,” Sam said after another pause, once again disbelief throughout his voice. “Shut up, Dean!”

Castiel decided not to inquire. It was likely none of his business. “Then I’ll come get you whenever you’re ready. Now, if you like.”

“Sounds good. Mail’s supposed to be here in half an hour, and I’d like to see what today’s threat says, but after that, I’m not doing anything I can’t put off till tomorrow.”

 

Half an hour later, Castiel knocked at the door to Sam’s house. The man who answered held out a hand. “Hey. I’m Dean.”

“Hello, Dean.” Castiel shook his hand, keeping the reading as brief as he could. It was enough to know that Dean was a good man, strong enough to be the brother Sam needed. “I’m glad to meet you in person.”

“Yeah? My soul read okay, then?” Dean asked with a cocky grin. “I read Sam’s article, glad you didn’t pick up on anything bad.”

“Your protectiveness of your brother was overwhelming anything else, and I try not to dig into souls unless I need to. Has the mail arrived yet?”

“Should be any minute. Victor and Alfie are down at the mailbox, they’ll bring it when it gets here.” It took Castiel a minute to remember who Alfie was. “Listen. My baby brother likes you. A lot. Be good to him, would you?”

“Of course. Sam is… I can no more imagine harming him than I can imagine abandoning the Angels.”

“For the love of… DEAN!” Sam came to the door and slapped his brother in the head. “Stop it. Just stop. Hello, Castiel. I’m sorry about my brother.”

“For what?” Sam seemed quite embarrassed by Dean’s behavior, but Castiel couldn’t understand why.

Sam didn’t seem to want to clarify though, as all he said was, “Dean’s an idiot, don’t listen to him. Mail’s a little late today, is it okay if we wait here?”

“Of course.” Castiel followed Sam to the kitchen table, where he was waved into a chair while Dean went to grab another chair from somewhere.

Dean came back and squeezed his chair in between two others. “Cas, do you have any idea who this could be? Best theory we’ve got is that it’s either someone you rescued being psychotically attached and jealous because Sam got more from you than they did, or it’s an enemy of the Angels targeting Sam as a way to go after you. Either way, thought maybe you’d have read something in someone’s soul that might tip you off that they were capable of this.”

“Well, as far as the Angels’ enemies go, many of them would be capable of this. The obvious choice is one of the Demons.” The demons were a group that had split off from the Angels because one of the founders had disagreed with the others about the role Angels should play. “I don’t know why they would target Sam specifically, but maybe they’ve targeted other people I’ve rescued who didn’t reach out to be to let me know.”

Dean shot a triumphant smirk at Sam, who stuck out his tongue in return. “Or maybe they saw what a lot of people did in the pictures of you carrying Sam out.”

“Dean!”

Castiel tilted his head at that. “That would seem to explain why this one’s been treated differently. Or perhaps it’s that Sam’s the only one who I’ve spoken to after the rescue. If it is a psychotic fan of mine, the special treatment might well push them over the edge.”

“Mail… oh, hi Castiel!” Alfie threw a stack of envelopes on the table and pulled up a chair. “Sam, everything okay?”

“Yeah. Grab an envelope, let’s start looking.” He handed one to Castiel. “The handwriting’s the same, but the envelope is always printed and it’s always normal-looking until we get it open.”

Castiel nodded and began helping the others go through the envelopes. He caught on quickly to the system – junk mail, fan mail, hate mail. “Does a love letter containing a marriage proposal go in fan mail?”

“What?” Sam took the letter from him and flushed as he read it. “Wow. This is getting seriously creepy. This is, what, four?”

Dean grabbed the letter from Sam, howling with laughter as he read it. “Well, Sammy? Becky sounds like great sister-in-law material! She’s dumb enough to think you’re a catch and you can’t argue with her persistence…”

“Shut up. Throw that away. No, wait. Burn it.” Sam snatched the letter back and took a lighter to it over the sink.

“Oh, right, I’m not going to have a sister-in-law. Brothers are much more fun anyway.” Dean opened the next letter as Sam glared at him. “Yahtzee! Oh, this one’s creative. There’s a great deal of detail in the suffering you’ll endure in Hell when they’re done with you.”

Castiel took the letter from Dean, examining it curiously. “A pity. I was hoping there might be enough of a trace that I could get some kind of soul reading from it.”

“You can do that?” Sam’s eyes lit up eagerly.

“Sometimes. Objects that are deeply associated with an owner often contain echoes of their soul. Given the hatred it must take to wish death on someone you don’t even know, I was hoping to find an echo.” Castiel handed the letter to Victor, who took it and Alfie and headed back to the station. Sam and Dean opened the last of the mail, but there was nothing of note.


	7. Angel HQ

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel brings Sam to Angel Headquarters and begins showing him around. When they take a coffee break, though, something happens to cut the tour short.

When Sam had agreed to fly, he hadn’t really thought about the logistics of it. Dean was never going to stop teasing him about having Castiel’s arms wrapped around his waist, but the only other good option was to be carried bridal-style, and that would’ve been worse. Still, he was flying with an Angel, and that made the teasing worth it.

The tour started in the public reception area, where people who came to meet with the Angels about something were accommodated. Lawyers, accountants, politicians, citizens directed to them for help with monsters. “One of Gabriel’s favorite tricks on a date is to resume his human identity and bring his date here to impress them. Depending on who’s around, the others either play along or out him, and either way, his dates are usually impressed.”

“Cassie! Don’t go giving away all our secrets!” There was no mistaking that voice, nor the golden wings folded over the back of the Angel who had just come up behind them. “Hi. I’m Gabriel. You must be Sam.”

“Uh, yeah. Hi.” Sam hated himself for the way he had suddenly reverted to an awkward teenager as he shook Gabriel’s hand. “I’m a big fan. It’s an honor to meet you.”

“When I heard you were here, I couldn’t miss out on the opportunity to meet you. It’s amazing what you’ve done to Castiel, you know? I had to shake hands with the guy who got Castiel to do something besides working and watching NetFlix.” Gabriel looked Sam over. “You’re a lot taller than you looked in the picture.”

“And you’re a lot smaller than you look in pictures,” Castiel snapped.

Gabriel laughed. “It’s true. No one expects me to be this tiny. Helps when I’m trying to pass as human, though!” He winked at Castiel. “Don’t worry, I’m not intruding on your territory. Just wanted to come check it out. Nice meeting you, Samsquatch.”

“What was that about?” Sam asked as Gabriel sauntered away.

“For some reason I tend to be friends with smartasses who enjoy teasing me without mercy. I had planned to warn you about Balthazar before introducing you, but I didn’t think we’d run into Gabriel. He’s a very busy person and rarely here when he’s not hard at work.” Castiel sighed. “Balthazar is rather outrageous with his teasing. He’ll probably ask you about the wedding.”

“What wedding?”

“To me. Because apparently speaking to someone outside the Angels means that I’m in love with them. Balthazar and Gabriel are the worst about it, but even Michael is getting in on it.”

“Yeah, now I’m really glad I only have the one brother. But he and Bobby are bad enough. I’m sorry your friends are teasing you.” There. Finally. Alfie was wrong, everyone was teasing Castiel, and Sam had been right all along. This was a business arrangement, and if Sam was lucky, he and Castiel might stay friends once they’d caught whoever was trying to kill him.

“Dean is your only family?”

“Kind of. He’s one of three blood relatives I have living. My dad’s alive, but the second I was eighteen he abandoned us to go raise his other son, my half-brother Adam. Who I found out about when Dad told us that we were adults now and he was leaving. I’ve never met Adam and haven’t spoken to Dad since.”

“I’m sorry. That’s a horrible thing to do to your sons.”

“Yeah, well, he wasn’t the greatest of fathers when he was there, you know? Thankfully, we had Bobby and Jody. Dean did most of the work raising the two of us, but Bobby and Jody helped, and I had a pastor who I really liked. He was killed in a Demon attack a couple years back, that girl Meg who went on a killing spree looking for some legendary weapon.”

“I remember Meg. I regretted having to kill her; had we gotten to her before Lucifer did, she could have been a much different person. Many of the Demons have souls that are entirely given over to darkness, but hers was different.”

“Anyway, Bobby and Jody and Jody’s adopted daughters are family, too. Alex is in college, working towards a computer science degree, and Claire’s fourteen. She keeps hoping she’ll show powers and be able to join the Angels herself. Her mom said that before her dad knew he had a kid, he was taken by the Angels, and Claire wants to see if she can find him.”

“Some of the more scientifically-minded Angels are investigating the possibility of a genetic component to the powers. They’d be very interested in meeting Claire and running tests on her DNA. She’s probably not the only child born to an Angel without our knowing it, especially given some of my brothers’ tendencies. If she’s fourteen, though, that would indicate one of the originals, which should make finding her father easier for her.”

“I’m trying to remember if I’ve ever heard of a pregnant Angel, or an Angel who fathered a child he acknowledged. I can’t think of any, but you guys have been around for fifteen years. Has it ever happened?”

“It has, but to protect the privacy of the children, we do everything we can to avoid making that public knowledge. They live with their civilian parent if at all possible. Our headquarters are no place for a child. There’s never been a child with two Angels for parents. There’s not really a rule against it, but since we look at each other as brothers and sisters, it would be a little weird.”

The training rooms were interesting – there was the standard gym, a pool, basketball court, batting cage, soccer field. There were also angel-specific things, designed to help train flight. “The Quidditch pitch was Anna’s idea. We don’t have broomsticks, because of our wings, and we don’t use bludgers or the golden snitch. Just the Quaffle.”

Sam watched in glee as several angels played a pick-up match. “Wow. Is this one of the things I’m allowed to write about?”

“Yes. I imagine Angels playing Quidditch will be popular. Ezekiel’s been talking to some of the others about putting on a demonstration match to raise money for victims of demon and monster attacks and their loved ones. This will help increase public interest by proving that it’s a real thing we do.”

“Yeah. Wow. Do you play?” It was easy to imagine Castiel swooping around, diving between defenders.

“Occasionally. I’m fast, which lets me get the ball across the pitch, but not very accurate with my throws, so terrible at scoring. I would not likely be among those in Ezekiel’s game. Come on.” Castiel led the way out of the pitch and towards a square grey building. “This is the part you can’t write about, where our security systems are.”

“Of course.” Sam put away his notebook and cell phone. The monitors and tracking systems were fascinating, and Sam was sorry when it was time to move on.

Castiel took him to another large building, which turned out to be a cafeteria. “This one is also sort of open to the public, since the employees are mostly civilians anyway. We can come back later, if you’d like to stay here for dinner, but I thought it was about time for a break. What would you like?”

“Oh, uh, water’s fine. Or coffee, if you still have it in the afternoon. It’s a bad habit, but I’m used to it.”

“It’s a bad habit many of us share.” Castiel led him to a fancy do-it-yourself coffee bar. “Michael and Gabriel among them, so this was one of the first parts of the cafeteria to be fully operational. Raphael thought it was ridiculous, but he was outvoted.”

Coffees made, they sat at one of the tables to drink them. They were quickly joined by another Angel. Castiel rolled his eyes. “Sam, this is Uriel. One of our best fighters.”

“And you’re Sam.” Uriel studied him intently. “I just don’t understand, Castiel. You finally give into the temptation to reach back to normal, and this is what you pick? And a reporter, you?”

“Uriel is one of the few angels who doesn’t see the point in enjoying human pursuits,” Castiel said apologetically. “He and a few others think we should keep to ourselves, only intervening in human affairs when the bad guys start it.”

“Castiel used to think like me. Then you came along, and now he’s tripping over himself to be as involved in human affairs as he possibly can.” Uriel turned to Castiel. “What makes this one so special? Out of all the people you’ve saved, why him?”

“I don’t have to explain myself to you. And I don’t tell others they should avoid human activities the way you and your friends do. I don’t get involved in many Angel activities either. I have my friends, and aside from that, I spend most of my time in solitude.” Castiel glared at Uriel, but his entire posture relaxed as he looked toward the cafeteria entrance.

“Uriel! Didn’t think you’d be interested in meeting the shiny new toy!” Balthazar sauntered over to the table, arms held out wide. “Isn’t your baseball team supposed to be practicing soon?”

“I was just leaving. Nice meeting you, Sam.” Uriel stood up and Balthazar immediately claimed his seat.

“Thank you, Balthazar.”

“Can’t have Uriel harassing your boyfriend, can we?” Balthazar winked at Sam. “Good to see you again. Was a bit worried you were just using our boy here for a story.”

Castiel rolled his eyes. “Because I told you that’s exactly what’s happening. This is not a date. I’d like to believe it’s at least partly friendship, but you are a ridiculous person.”

“Oh nonsense. Sam, you like Castiel, don’t you? Don’t have to be able to read souls to see that much.”

Sam froze up, looking over to Castiel quickly. Before he could figure out what to say, though, he fell from his chair, grabbing his head and screaming.

When he came to, Castiel was holding his head still, stroking his hair and singing something in a language Sam didn’t recognize. Balthazar was gone. “Castiel?”

“Sam, thank God.” Castiel continued to hold his head, but his fingers went still. “Balthazar went to get one of the healers. Has this ever happened to you before?”

“Not like this. I’ve had some pretty intense nightmares and Dean tells me that I thrash around a lot in my sleep when they hit, but I was awake here. I’m not… I’m not even entirely sure what happened.” Sam tried to sit up, but Castiel held him in place. “How long was I out?”

“Only about five minutes, but when you fell from your chair, you hit your head on the table, your neck on the chair, and your head again on the ground. You need to remain as still as possible until you can be evaluated for concussion or a neck injury. Will you do that if I let go?”

“I doubt it. I’m a terrible patient. Dean complains about it all the time. Why do you ask?” Sam tried to make himself be still anyway. Then he realized what Castiel probably meant. “If this is about your soul-reading, I don’t mind. The flight here was a lot longer than this. Unless… are you reading something bad? Not bad, that’s not the right word, but, something that’s hurting you or something?”

“Not anymore, but while you were convulsing, your soul was screaming loud enough to get through my shield to begin with. It was worse than listening to the physical screaming. I can’t imagine what you must have been going through. It’s calmed now, though, your soul feels normal.”

Balthazar came in with another angel, who introduced himself as Ephraim. After the battery of tests, Ephraim smiled at him. “I have no idea what happened, but physically, you’re just going to have some bruises. I would recommend getting in to see a proper doctor to find out what caused the convulsion, but it doesn’t seem to have done you any serious harm.”

“Good.” Sam sat up and climbed back into his chair. “What happened to my coffee?”

“Cassie said it was the only thing you’d eaten or drunk here, so I had it sent to the lab in case there was something in there that caused this. Feel free to get another one, or whatever else you want.” Balthazar clapped a hand on Sam’s shoulder. “I should head out, but if you need anything, call.”

Castiel brought Sam a bottle of water. “Why did you compare this to a nightmare?”

“Because I saw something. A little girl, a baby, and there was a fire. It had to be a dream, because her mom was on the ceiling, burning and dripping blood. I just don’t get why I’d be having nightmares while I’m wide awake, you know?” Sam took a long drink of water. “I’m sorry to have scared you.”

“It could have been much worse. I’m glad you’re okay. Do you want me to take you home?” Sam was conflicted. On the one hand, he had a feeling that he should probably get some rest, but on the other hand, just how many chances was he going to get to see Angel Headquarters? Castiel seemed to sense his conflict. “Of course I’ll bring you back later, next time you need to get out of the house. Whether you stay today or not.”

“Thanks. In that case, I should probably get home. Dean kind of has this sixth sense when it comes to weird things happening to me, so he’s probably…” Sam’s phone rang, playing Led Zeppelin. “Dean, I’m fine, you can relax.”

“You still at HQ with Cas?”

“Yes. I had some kind of seizure or something, so Castiel’s bringing me home, but I’m fine. Really.”

“Yeah. You’re awesome. You just had a seizure out of nowhere, but sure, you’re just peachy.”

Sam laughed silently. “It was like my nightmares, Dean. Just happening when I’m awake. Castiel had a medic check me out, you know I’ve never suffered much long-term side effects from them, I am fine.”

“Whatever. Bitch. Just get home so I can keep an eye on you and make sure.”

“Jerk. See you soon.” Sam hung up and smiled at Castiel. “I love my brother, but he’s kind of smothering sometimes.”


	8. Not Coincidence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel discovers something in mission reports and comes up with a theory.

A couple days later, Castiel was reading mission reports to kill time before mail delivery. Sam was coming back to the compound today, unless an emergency situation came up, after he’d read the latest threat. Ezekiel had arranged for a Quidditch scrimmage for Sam to watch and report, and would use the response to the article to determine whether there was enough interest in a public exhibition. They would finish the tour, Sam would join the Angels for dinner. And then it would almost certainly not go the direction Balthazar insisted it would and Castiel couldn’t stop thinking about, because Balthazar was a terrible person.

Castiel had always been a fairly good multitasker, letting the fantasy play in the back of his mind while he read the tedious mission reports. But Hester and Inias’s report of their trip to Tennessee made him focus. He reread it, printed it out, and took it to them to ask more questions. Then he called Sam. “Sam, can I ask some questions about your nightmare the other day?”

“Um, sure. Give me a second.” There was some rustling and sounds of things being moved around, and then Sam was back. “Okay. Go ahead.”

“You said you were sure it was a dream because of the way the woman died, correct?”

“Yeah, pinned to the ceiling while on fire and bleeding from a belly cut. Why?”

“And there was a baby girl? Do you have any idea how old the girl was?”

“Not really, I don’t really have a good feel for baby development, all I can really tell you is that she was well beyond the newborn stage but nowhere close to being a toddler. Five to six months, maybe?”

“Sam, I’m looking at a report from a mission last night. Two Angels were in Tennessee, and there was a fire. They were able to save the man and his six-month-old daughter, but they couldn’t save the woman. By the time they could reach her, she was dead. They’re not certain whether she burned, died of smoke inhalation, or bled out from the cut across her stomach, that’s a job for the full autopsy. But they do specifically mention that there was an outline of ash and soot on the ceiling, and the blood pattern indicated dripping from the ceiling, and postmortem bruising consistent with a fall from that height.”

“So… just like I saw in my dream, or vision, or whatever you want to call it? That’s really weird, Castiel.”

“It is. You said you’ve had extremely vivid nightmares before? Do you remember any of them?”

Sam laughed. “I can go you one better. After the third or fourth one, Dean bullied my father into taking me to a shrink to rule out night terrors. The doctor had me write them down so we could do dream analysis on them. The dream analysis never made any difference, so when we moved we didn't bother to find a new shrink, but I found the process of writing the dreams out to be therapeutic. Once it was on paper, I could stop seeing images from it every time I so much as blinked. So I kept doing that. I don’t have the first few, but I have almost every nightmare I’ve ever had written down in as much detail as I could remember along with the dates I had them. It taught me a lot of the skills I use as a reporter now. I think writing out my dreams is why I became a reporter.” He cleared his throat. “Come to think of it, I was about eight when this started… fifteen years ago. About the time the Angels and Demons showed up.”

“Fifteen years ago?” Now Castiel was even more sure of his theory. “Sam, can you bring your dream journal with you today?”

“I still want to see that Quidditch match, but sure, I’ll bring it. You’re thinking my dreams might be related to other incidents? That I’m somehow seeing things?”

“Yes, exactly. And if we can find matching mission reports, we might be able to spot a pattern. At the very least, it would help you to finally understand why you’re getting these dreams.” And if Castiel was right, Sam might have an intriguing situation to face.


	9. Potential to Become More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam and Castiel go through mission reports and discover a pattern. The pattern also indicates that Sam is not just a mild-mannered reporter.

Digging through Angel mission reports was fascinating to Sam. Everyone knew about the big, flashy moments the Angels had, fighting bad guys and rescuing the innocent from evil schemes. Some people knew that Angels would often show up at lesser tragedies, such as house fires and natural bridge collapses. Very few people knew that the Angels would often continue to work in disaster areas long after the flashy public role was over, helping to clear and rebuild the devastated cities. Often, this was done with the Angels in their old human forms, so no one would recognize them.

After the second time he ran into a report about a human-form mission, Sam felt as though he had to ask. “Cas, it’s okay that I’m reading these, right? Because a couple of them have the names of Angels’ human identities, and those are supposed to be top secret.”

Castiel nodded. “Convincing Michael to give you access was difficult. I’ve basically staked my standing with the Angels on the fact that you can be trusted with sensitive information despite your profession. I trust your judgment, and Michael has chosen to trust me.”

Sam had no idea what to say to that kind of declaration of faith. “Thank you” just seemed incredibly inadequate. “Well, you’re right, I came in here with the understanding that anything I saw in here was just for me. I’m not going to write about any of this.”

“I suppose once you take out the parts we’d ask you not to, there’s not really much of a story to be had anyway. I can’t imagine anyone being interested in reading an article about how Angels do paperwork just like anyone else.”

Sure enough, as they worked, a pattern started to emerge. Sam’s dreams matched up with small-scale incidents that happened a few days later – an abused boy who killed his father and uncle, an entire family lured to a lake and then drowned, people kidnapped from their homes. But there was more to it. Each incident ended up linked to the same Demon. “Who is this Azazel? Do you know anything about him?”

“Not much, but I’ll alert Hester and Inias to check with the people we have tracking him. He’s slippery. It usually takes months to find evidence of what he’s done – by which point he’s already several schemes down the road.” Castiel gathered up files to put away. “Sam, you see these things before they happen.”

“I know.” That had Sam very freaked out.

“You’re respecting our secrets, so I’ll respect yours, if that’s what you want. If Michael hears about this, he’ll want to bring you in for testing and possible recruitment.”

Sam considered. It was certainly something huge to think about. But he had one major concern stopping him from asking Castiel to keep it secret until he’d had time to think and talk it over with Dean and his family. “If you keep my visions secret, how are you going to explain why you think this particular incident is related to Azazel? There’s not just a whole lot of connection between these other things.”

“I don’t know. I’ll figure something out, though. If nothing else, I can always say it was a tip from someone who didn’t leave their name or contact information. They’ll be skeptical, but they’ll investigate just in case.”

Sam nodded. “In that case, give me a chance to talk to Dean and Bobby and Jody. Really think it over. I mean, when I was a kid I used to dream about joining up, who doesn’t, but I’m an adult. I have a life out there, with my brother and my family, and from what I’ve heard, when you join the Angels, you leave your old family behind.”

“That is usually how it works, although there are some who stay in contact or who have new families. It’s dangerous for them – if your identity is compromised, your family is in the line of fire. Given who your family are, they can handle themselves. I will warn you that the older you are, the more difficult the conversion process. Most of the people we bring in are teenagers or college age.”

“Yeah, that’s… something to think about.” Sam shut his laptop and put it in his bag. “Agreeing to testing doesn’t mean that I have to go all the way if I test positive for Angel potential, does it?”

“No, but the more you do the harder it is to back out. Michael has no problem using strongarm tactics when needed to convince a potential recruit.”

That just made Sam smirk. He knew a thing or two about people who had no problem employing strongarm tactics. “Might be interesting to see Michael going up against Dean.”

Castiel smiled at that. “I’ve seen him against some rather hard-headed people, but I think Dean could hold his own. Gabriel was the one who talked to my parents, and he handled them well, but I think my parents were honestly grateful to be rid of me. I was just as awkward back then, so when you factored in the hospitalization…”

This was the first time Castiel had mentioned his human identity since he’d told Sam how Gabriel found him, and Sam found himself badly wanting to know more. Castiel would probably tell him, if he asked, but Sam had no idea how to ask that kind of question. “What do we do now?”

“I take this to Hester and Inias, let them decide whether my hunch is worth investigating, and then… if you need to get home, I understand, but I would like to talk to you about something, and better Angel eavesdroppers than civilian.”

“No, I can stay.”

Hester and Inias were skeptical but agreed to at least look into the suggestion, and then Castiel took Sam to a group of nondescript buildings. “This is where most of us live. Small apartments, but with easy access to everything we need. Some angels choose to live in the city, or even out in the suburbs, especially if they have a family they prefer to live with.” He opened a door, and Sam followed him in.

Castiel’s apartment was, unsurprisingly, very orderly. He had a big TV, which made sense given his hobby of watching NetFlix, and bookshelves just about everywhere he could put one. There wasn’t much in the way of decoration, but it was a comfortable place. Sam sat in the chair Castiel directed him to, near the couch. “What’s on your mind, Cas?”

“Jimmy Novak.”

Sam didn't recognize the name. “Who’s Jimmy Novak?”

“I am.” Sam’s shock must have been obvious, because Castiel actually reached out and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. “Or rather, I was. That was my name, before I joined the Angels. The others think I’ve forgotten him, or that I don’t know how to be him anymore. It’s not entirely wrong, but the truth is, Jimmy and Castiel aren’t much different.”

“Is it normal for there to be a significant difference between the human and angel identities?”

Castiel shrugged. “Most angels either naturally change when they realize they aren’t freaks, they have a place to belong, or something happens during conversion that causes them to become different. The old personality is there, still, and resurfaces when the wings disappear. It’s encouraged, of course, and many new angels spend their first few months trying on various personas while they find one that fits them and that they like. If you ever tell Balthazar I told you this I’ll deny it, but as an Angel, he’s one of the most dedicated and hardest-working. Very little in common with his hedonist human persona.”

“Wow. I assume the different personalities are encouraged because it makes it easier to hide?” Castiel nodded. “So how is Jimmy different from Castiel?”

“The one major difference is that Jimmy was very devout, and is now rather bitter about religion. Going through conversion destroyed my faith. Jimmy’s upset by that, but as Castiel, I really don’t care. There’s some minor differences – if I’ve got an hour to kill, Jimmy is more inclined to pick up a book while Castiel will most likely turn on NetFlix, things like that.”

“Have you ever been recognized as Jimmy?”

“No. This one I think is due to the conversion process: during training, we’re taught to stand a certain way, hold ourselves a certain way. You rarely see an angel slouching. So our entire body language is different. There are times I fail to recognize my own brothers and sisters in their human identities because they’re so different. If I were to show up in the lobby as Jimmy Novak, there are probably many Angels who would have no idea it’s me.”

“I’d like to meet Jimmy, sometime. Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I trust you, and I want you to meet Jimmy, and because you should know what could happen to you if you choose to join the Angels. The person you are won’t be gone. But you will become someone else as well. And there’s no way to predict who that will be until it happens.”

“Are there cases where the angel and human identities of someone hate each other?”

“Occasionally. It’s rare. Generally speaking, the two personalities have to get along well enough to be willing to become the other at need. But it’s an imperfect process.”

Sam nodded. It was a lot to think about, and a good reason why the Angels usually tried to find people in their teens when they’re still figuring out who they are. “Cas? Do you want me to try?”

“It’s your decision. I know you have the courage and the desire to protect others that would make you an excellent brother-in-arms, and I have absolutely no regrets about my own choice to join up. But I rather like your human identity, and with the unpredictability of the conversion process, I would hate to see you become someone I didn’t like, or who would abandon your well-earned family out there. So there’s good and bad to both sides. What I want is for you to have the opportunity to make the decision that’s best for you based on more than just the propaganda and dreams.”

“You like me?” Sam managed to stop himself before he went full stammering teenager asking for clarification of exactly what Castiel meant. Friends, he told himself firmly.

“Yes. I have since I rescued you. I know you initially came here to do a job, and then the threat investigation, but regardless of your decision regarding Angel recruitment, it’s my hope that we can be friends.” Sam forced down the disappointment, but Castiel added, “Or perhaps more. If you… if you think that might be possible?”

Sam wanted to be absolutely certain he understood what Castiel was saying. “You mean, like, dating? Being together?” Castiel nodded. “Yeah, I’m definitely interested. God, Dean is going to be unbearable when he learns he was right…”

“Hmm?”

“He’s been teasing me since he found out you gave me an interview, telling me this would happen. But you… no one’s ever known you to be…”

“Jimmy had a girlfriend when I was taken to the Angels, and you may remember the time a few years back where I disappeared for a few months? Thanks to the Leviathans, I’d been badly wounded and lost my memory, and I ended up living with a woman at that time until Balthazar found me. Daphne. Other than that, I haven’t been interested in anyone. This is the first time, as Castiel.”

“Wow. I kinda… I have no idea what to say to that. I mean, I’m flattered, and really surprised. And I believe you. It’s just… I’ve never really thought of myself as anything special. Dean’s the one people like. I’m the awkward nerdy little brother who mostly gets dates when Dean sets me up.”

“Keep in mind that I’m also incredibly awkward, and I don’t know if I’m a nerd, but Jimmy certainly was. So that helps. And then, of course, the first thing I ever knew about you was the strength and goodness of your soul, which others would only realize after getting to know you in other ways. That’s what made you special in my eyes.”

“I know, which is why I believe you. It’s just hard to get my head around, is all.”


	10. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam gets an unexpected visitor and an old mystery is solved. Dean has all the common sense.

The next day, Sam was working on his article about Angel Quidditch when there was a knock at the door. Dean answered it, with Sam lurking out of sight. “Who are you?”

“My name’s James. A mutual friend sent me over with a message for Sam.” Sam didn’t recognize the voice, so he resisted his curiosity and followed his common sense, staying out of sight. He couldn’t quite resist taking a peek, though. There was something vaguely familiar about the guy, but not familiar enough to override sense.

“Yeah? What’s the message?”

“It’s for Sam. May I speak to him?”

Dean’s reaction wasn’t a surprise, and Sam smothered the laugh. “I’m Sam. Go ahead.”

“You’re not Sam. Sam’s taller and has long hair. You’re Sam’s brother Dean. And while I know you’re trustworthy, I don’t know what Sam’s told you.”

Dean was unimpressed, and Sam was starting to get a little nervous. He reached for his phone. It might be about time to call Castiel. “If you know that much, then you know we have really good reason to be paranoid about strange people trying to get access to Sammy. What’s your game here?”

“I know. The message is related to the investigation. A suggestion of who might be behind the threats to Sam.”

Now Sam was curious enough to come out of hiding. “James? I’m Sam. Come inside. Dean will probably have a gun open and visible, but don’t worry, he won’t shoot unless you do something really stupid.”

“Sam!” Dean hissed. “What the hell are you doing?”

“If he can help, then we should give him a chance. If a friend trusts him enough to send him here, then we should at least hear him out, right?” Dean frowned, but accepted it, stepping back to let James in.

James looked curiously at Sam, but followed him to the kitchen table. “Azazel. He has good reason to want you dead, the resources for the varied addresses and postmarks, and the evil humor to put you through all this instead of simply taking you out.”

Sam turned away from the refrigerator, water bottle in hand, to stare at James. “Oh my god. Jimmy?”

“Yes.”

“Wow.” Now that he’d caught on, he could definitely see it. The posture was completely different, the voice was different, but the eyes were the same blue. “This must be hilarious to you, I guess. Holy crap.”

Jimmy smiled. “It is rather funny.”

“Dean, you can put the gun away. Jimmy’s one of the good guys.” Sam came over and distributed waters to everyone.

“Yeah, and you know this because…?” Dean prompted, gun not moving at all.

“Because Castiel sent him here. If Cas trusts him, so can we.”

Jimmy’s eyebrows shot up. “Dean doesn’t know who I am?”

That hurt. “Of course not. I don’t go around betraying my friends like that!”

Dean looked between the two of them. “What the hell is going on?”

“Sam, I apologize. I had assumed you would tell Dean, because you and he are so close the only way to keep it secret would be to keep me away. Dean, I’m Castiel. Castiel’s human identity.”

Dean’s face lit up. “You’re Clark Kent.”

Jimmy smiled. “Glasses would probably help improve the disguise, wouldn’t they? Although contacts might be better. The thing most likely to give me away is my eyes.”

Dean smirked at Sam. “This makes you Lois Lane.”

“Yeah, I know. I haven’t had a chance to tell you yet, but Cas and I are…”

“I knew it!” Dean got up and smacked Sam’s shoulder. “You’re an idiot.” He sat back down, still grinning. “So why’s Azazel got it in for Sam?”

Jimmy looked curiously at Sam. “I didn’t tell him this, either. Dean, you know my nightmares?” Dean nodded. “Cas and I went through mission reports and discovered that my nightmares correspond to Azazel’s activities – and I dream them days ahead of time.”

“You’ve got powers?”

“Oddly specific powers, but yes. It’s enough that Cas thinks Michael would want me to join up if he found out about them.”

Dean went a little pale. “So you’re leaving us? Just like that?”

“No!” Even if Sam did end up leaving, it wouldn’t be just like that.

“You’ve got powers. If you don’t join up with the Angels, the Demons come calling, and they’re not so nice about giving you a choice. Either way, we lose you. I lose you.” A single tear slipped from Dean’s eye.

“Not necessarily,” Jimmy said. “Sam will still exist, like I do, and if you’re willing to take the risk if his identity is compromised, there’s no reason you can’t remain in his life. He’ll be gone for three months for conversion and will occasionally have to be gone for service to the Angels, but especially since he lives in the city anyway, Michael will let him live here if he wants. There are a couple other Angels living mostly civilian lives in the city.”

“Sammy? Do you want to do this?”

“I want to, but I’m scared enough to let it go if you and Bobby and Jody think I should. Cas will keep the secret if we decide against it, and he’s the only one who knows.”

“That you know of.” Dean sighed. “If Azazel’s behind your death threats, then obviously he knows. And who knows who he’ll tell.”

“Good point,” Sam had to admit. He shuddered at the thought of Azazel somehow telling Michael. “So you think I should do it?”

“Yeah, I think I do. I hate it, I wish you didn’t have these powers, but if you’re in conversion, then you’re safer than you are out here.” Dean forced a smile. “You know what Claire would say, right?”

Sam laughed. “Yeah. She’d kick my ass for even considering not doing it.”

“Do you know Claire’s mother’s name? I can start asking around, see if anyone recognizes the name.” Jimmy pulled out a pad of paper and offered it to Sam.

“I know her name was Amelia, but…” Sam trailed off as Jimmy dropped the paper. “Jimmy? Are you all right?

“Amelia Everett?”

“Uh…” Sam looked to Dean, who shrugged. “Jody should know, but I’m sorry, I don’t. Why? Do you know Amelia Everett?”

“I was dating her when my parents had me hospitalized the second time. The time I went straight from the hospital to the Angels. I never saw her again.”

“Wait, you said that before you joined up, you were really religious,” Sam said.

Jimmy smiled and ducked his head. “I was also a sixteen-year-old boy whose girlfriend was curious and persuasive. I was planning on going to confession afterwards and never doing it again until I was married, but then I had the breakdown…”

“Huh.” Sam pulled out his phone and dialed Jody’s number.

“Sam? New development in the death threats?”

“No… do you know Claire’s mom’s last name?”

“Everett, why?”

“Because if she’s right about Claire’s father being an angel, then I sincerely hope I’m sitting beside him right now.”

“Well, she said she was a virgin before then and didn’t sleep with anyone else before she knew she was pregnant, so I don’t see how she could have made a mistake,” Jody said. “Should I tell Claire you’ve got something?”

Sam looked to Jimmy, who nodded. “Yeah, he says it’s okay. And don’t worry, he’s not going to fight you for custody.”

Dean was smirking as Sam hung up. “So at what point do I get to start calling you Claire’s stepfather?”

“Oh, for the love of… we haven’t even gone on a date yet!” But Sam laughed. It was good to know that Dean was going to be obnoxious about their relationship, because that meant he approved.

“We should fix that. Would you like to do something?”

Sam sighed. “I would love to, but… for both our sakes, I think we need to talk to Michael as soon as possible. Before Azazel finds a way to tip him off. Even if I decide not to actually do it, at least you’re not in trouble for covering for me.”

“You’re probably right.” Jimmy stood up, and the room started to glow. Once Sam could see again, Jimmy was gone, and Castiel was there. “Let’s go.”


	11. Michael

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel and Sam report to Michael. Michael's less surprised than they expected.

Michael’s office was intimidating in its stark white décor. “Castiel? I take it this is your new human friend. Hello, Sam.”

“We need to talk to you. May we?” Castiel said.

Michael nodded and motioned for them to have a seat. “What is it?”

Castiel looked to Sam, who took a steadying breath. “Did you hear about the seizure I had the other day when I was visiting?”

“Yes. We found something odd in the coffee and we’re investigating it further. We’ve tested the coffee supplies as well as everything Castiel remembered you putting in, but nothing else seems to have the odd substance. I apologize for whatever happened to cause your seizure; this is a place you should be safe.”

Sam’s brow wrinkled in confusion. “I don’t know that that’s necessary. The seizure was similar to nightmares I’ve had for years, except that it happened when I was awake. And when they do… I see things. And then they come true.”

Michael leaned forward, resting his arms on his desk. “They do? Every time?”

“We’re not sure about the first few, I wasn’t recording them yet and I can’t remember them well, but for all the ones I did write down we’ve found matching reports in your files about the incidents. All but the most recent ones have been connected to a demon called Azazel.” Sam handed Michael a report indexing the dreams, the mission reports, and their dates.

“You know it usually takes us months to realize Azazel was involved in things, so I believe the most recent ones will prove to be connected as well,” Castiel added.

“I see.” Michael turned a very serious gaze on Castiel. “How long have you known about this, Castiel?”

“Only since yesterday, when I asked him to give me a chance to talk to my brother before we came to you with it,” Sam said, determined not to let Castiel get in trouble if he could help it.

“Then how did Uriel know days ago?” Michael sat back. “I’ve known about this since shortly after you pulled him out of that building, Castiel. I was just waiting to see how long it would take you to actually bring him to me.”

Sam and Castiel looked at each other in shock. Castiel shook his head helplessly. “I don’t know, Michael. But when Sam had his vision, I didn’t know what it was, and neither did he. It wasn’t until I read Hester and Inias’s report that I put together even that he was seeing real things, and going through reports yesterday to discover the connection to Azazel . One, if the nightmares hadn’t panned out, that could have been coincidence or whatever was in the coffee.”

Something was bugging Sam. His eyes went wide when he realized what it was. “Cas… wasn’t Uriel the one who was there that day, when we sat down for coffee? The one Balthazar chased off?”

“The one who was so… yes, he was there.” Castiel turned back to Michael. “Nothing else was contaminated, only Sam’s coffee? Not mine?”

“That’s right.” Michael leaned forward again, this time with a frown. “Sam, Uriel can…”

“He’s telekinetic. I know.” It’s what made Uriel so good at destruction – he could bring down an entire building just by ripping a few bricks at a time out of the base. “So while he was distracting us by insulting Cas, humans in general, and me specifically, he could have easily slipped something into my coffee.”

“The question is why, then. Why would he do such a thing? Uriel was one of our founding members. We’ve worked together so many times…” Castiel’s voice shook a little as he spoke, and Sam reached out to take his hand.

“I’m less concerned with why than I am with how he knew to do it,” Michael said. “Sam, you didn’t realize your nightmares were visions until yesterday?”

“No, I didn’t, but when I talked to my brother he suggested that Azazel may well know it’s happening. So he could…” Sam trailed off as the implication struck him. “Azazel could have told Uriel. If Uriel’s working for Azazel, there’s your why, too.”

“I don’t like it, but it does make sense.” Michael got to his feet. “Of course, now I have another question. Why would Azazel want you to have that vision right in the middle of HQ? He’s cunning enough to know that we’d piece everything together. What’s he up to?”

“We never know the answer to that question until months too late.”

Michael smiled. “No, but now we have two ways to get a little closer to him. Go find someone and tell them to tell Uriel I want to see him. Sam, if you have another nightmare or vision, call Castiel right away. For now, so you don’t tip Uriel off, I’ll send you home.”

“Hang on… what about my powers? Aren't you going to...”

“Well, if they’re tied to Azazel, what happens after we take him down? You have a life; if you don’t have any attraction for the Demons, why would you want to uproot that to join the Angels?” Michael put a hand on Sam’s shoulder. “If you really want to join up, you can, once we’ve taken down Azazel. Powers sometimes go on the fritz during conversion, so I don’t think we can afford to have you unreliable for three months, not when you’re our best chance of doing this. If you don’t, then as long as your powers stay dormant I don’t see any reason to attempt to coerce you into it.”

Sam let out a deep sigh of relief. “Thank you.”


	12. Answers and Nightmares

Castiel was reaching for his phone to call Sam when it rang. “Hello?”

“Cas, I had another nightmare. I just finished writing about it, but I figured you’d want to know. Do you want me to email you the writeup, or can you come get me?”

“I was about to ask if you could come over. Michael’s finished with Uriel, and we got the results from the lab about what he put in your coffee. He wants to tell you in person.”

“Do you know?”

“No. He wouldn’t tell me for fear that I would tell you before he could.”

Sam chuckled at that. “Okay. Come get me?”

“On my way. Be sure to let Dean know.”

“Yes, mom.”

Dean answered the door when Castiel rang the bell. “I want to hear this, and I think I have a right. Take me with you.”

Wasn’t that a surprise. Dean Winchester wanted to know what was going on with his little brother. Sam looked a little embarrassed, but Castiel just nodded. “As you like.” He wrapped an arm around each of the Winchesters.

Michael didn’t look surprised when Castiel came in with two civilians. “Hello, Dean. Welcome to Angel Headquarters.”

“What’s happening to Sam?” Dean asked as he shook Michael’s hand.

“You know that while the Angels first appeared as an organized group fifteen years ago, some of us had gone through the conversion and become Angels well before then, correct?”

“You, Gabriel, Raphael, and Lucifer,” Sam said.

“And we began converting others, to make sure we could do it. Azazel was one of Lucifer’s. Naturally, when Lucifer left us to form the Demons, Azazel and others followed. We kept it as quiet as we could, but we lost a lot of Angels that day.”

“Not seeing what this has to do with Sammy.” Dean folded his arms across his chest and glared at Michael.

Michael barely blinked. He just leaned back in his chair a little. “I’m getting there. Azazel’s been active, Angel and Demon, for twenty-three years. He’s clever, he’s creative, and he is utterly deranged. He had this idea that instead of waiting for people to show powers, we could create people with powers.”

“How?” Sam leaned forward in fascination. “Is that what happened to me?”

“I think so. Uriel said that Azazel did something to you as a baby, but he didn’t know what. That drugging you here in our compound was a test to see what had happened. You were an experiment to Azazel. Proof of concept.” Which was disgusting. Castiel had never liked the Demons, but he'd never dreamed of them harming babies on purpose.

Sam scooted forward until he was just barely in his seat. “So what did Uriel give me the other day?” Dean rolled his eyes at Sam’s eagerness, but Castiel found it endearing.

Michael held out the report. “Blood. Specifically, Azazel’s blood.”

“Okay, that’s just gross,” Dean said.

Sam took the report and looked at it. “Makes sense… if he gave this to me as a baby, the blood might give me powers, and then giving me more could activate them.”

Michael nodded. “Which would explain how specific your powers are. If you have them because of drinking Azazel’s blood, they only trigger for Azazel.”

“And to get another Demon on my radar, I’d have to drink their blood? Might not even work since I didn’t grow up with it. Either way, ew.” Sam handed back the report. “I had another vision last night.”

Michael sat up straight. “Tell me.”

“A plane, departing from Philadelphia. There’s a Demon on board and he’s going to take it down. I have a flight number… 2485… but not the airline or destination. But the flight attendants were wearing grey suits with white scarves or ties… maybe that can help you narrow it down?”

Michael got to his feet and started pacing. “Castiel, get a team together. Sam, Dean, I’m going to ask the two of you to stay here while we’re looking into this.” 

“I’d like to stay…”

“I know you would, Castiel, but if that plane goes down we’re going to need you to find survivors.” Michael stopped pacing, and he turned and looked Sam in the eyes. “If I trust you to stay here without an escort, can I count on you not going places you’re not supposed to be?”

“Yes, sir. Cafeteria, public areas, can I take Dean to training area? It would give us something to do.”

“Sure.” Michael started pacing again.

Castiel reached out and took Sam’s hand. “You’re also free to use my apartment, Sam. We may be gone a few days.”

“Thanks, Cas.” Sam smiled at him and gave him a quick kiss. “Good luck. I hope you save them.”


	13. Whoops.

The Angels had been gone for over a day. Sam was watching the news when he got a phone call from Cas. “It was a trap. Get out of Angel HQ, Azazel’s got a team coming for it. I can’t…” His voice trailed off into a scream, and then the line went dead.

Sam shook Dean out of his nap. “We need to go. It’s not safe here for me. Azazel’s coming.”

“I think Jody’s closest.” Dean jumped to his feet and grabbed a couple of the weapons Castiel had laying around. “Stay close to me. Once you’re safe, we’ll call Angel Hotline and warn them.”

Sam nodded, and the two slipped out. As they moved, not quite running but as quickly as they could while being stealthy, Sam couldn’t help replaying the message from Castiel, worrying about what the scream meant. Was Castiel dead? Captured? Castiel could handle himself, and if this was a trap, the main force would be coming for HQ. Reminding himself of that did not help him any.

Outside HQ, they slowed their pace, blending in with the usual city crowds. Jody’s precinct wasn’t too far, only a few blocks. They were better off moving slowly and not drawing attention.

At the precinct, though, they didn’t find what they were looking for. Jody and her team were tied up. Two were dead. Sitting at one of the desks, feet up, was a Demon. The massive wings were impressive, but it was the yellow eyes that caught Sam’s attention.

“Took you long enough, Sammy! I was beginning to worry you wouldn’t take the bait. And you brought Dean, too! I’ve been wanting to meet you in person for years. Well, we’ve already met, the night I killed your mother, but you probably don’t remember.” The Demon got to his feet with a cruel smile. “Oh, where are my manners? My name is Azazel, and you are a very special young man. Did you know that?”

“You. You did something to me. Gave me nightmares.” Sam reached into his coat and pulled the knife he’d borrowed from Castiel. “I don’t know what you want with me, but I will not come quietly.”

“Oh, I think you will. Because, you see, you can come quietly…” Azazel shot another one of the cops. “Or the next one will be the pretty lady over there. You – and your brother, I can’t leave him out there to warn the Angels or track you down himself – you’re coming with me, nice and friendly, or I kill the woman who’s been a mother to you. Again.”

 

Ferreting out the Demon on the plane had been no big deal. The plane was safely on its way to Indianapolis, the Demon was in Angel custody, and Castiel was eager to get home. His phone rang. Sam. “We’re finished here, Sam. I'm on my way back. Is everything all right?”

“This isn’t Sam.” A woman’s voice, shaking and raw. “I called the Hotline, and they told me to call you. Said you’d want to know right away.”

“What’s happened?” Castiel could feel the panic rising in his throat. “Why do you have Sam’s phone?”

“My name is Jody Mills. I…”

“You’re Sam’s family. The woman looking after Claire.” If he weren't so panicked, he would have identified himself, thanked her. But Jody had Sam's phone. And it didn't sound like Sam had just lent it to her so she would have his number.

“Yeah. I’m a police captain, and my precinct was just attacked by a Demon.”

That still didn't explain why she had Sam's phone, but he could at least handle that. “I’m on my way. Did HQ send help?”

“No, don’t… we’re not in danger anymore. He got what he wanted. Sam and Dean came in, and the Demon took them. He killed three of my people and threatened to kill all of us if they didn’t go with him.”

A Demon had Sam. There were a million questions to ask, but there was one that was clearly the most important. “Do you know where he took them?”

“No. I tried to send a pair after them, but Azazel had too much of a head start. They couldn’t pick up a trail.”

“Azazel?” Castiel froze. “Azazel was there, and he took Sam and Dean.”

“Yeah. Said something about Sam being special. Kid is, too, because he managed to drop his phone without Azazel noticing.” Castiel certainly couldn't blame her for sounding proud. She'd probably taught him. And he knew he'd probably sound just as proud when he had the chance to tell Michael.

“I’m still on my way. Did you tell the hotline that Azazel had Sam?”

“No, they stopped me as soon as I said Sam and said to call you.”

“Call them back, tell them Sam’s been taken by Azazel. I have to report to Michael. Don’t worry about Sam and Dean. I promise you, the Angels will get them back.”

As expected, Michael ordered all available Angels to mobilize to look for any sign of the Winchesters or Azazel. Jody Mills and Donna Hanscum both offered their own forces to join the search. The search took two days, until finally, they got a break. Hannah was the one to deliver the news. “We think we’ve found them. Cold Oak, South Dakota. It’s a ghost town that’s been showing signs of life. And Dean Winchester was able to get a call in to his friend Victor who traced it there.”

“Good work, Hannah. Raphael, get the message out. We’re going in.”


	14. Cold Oak

As advertised, Cold Oak was almost deserted. There were a lot of empty buildings. Fortunately, with Castiel, they didn’t have to search them all. Castiel flew to the middle of the town, closed his eyes, and dropped his shield. Sam and Dean weren’t Azazel’s only prisoners here. He directed Angels toward several buildings – a young woman suffering the guilt of having accidentally killed her girlfriend, twin brothers who were raised apart and grew up to be very different people, a soldier who had actually managed to take out his guard once and had been severely punished for it, another young woman who had begun Demon conversion. Like Meg, Castiel could sense that there was goodness left in her, so he sent Anael to get her.

Sam and Dean were separated. Dean was locked in a storm cellar, a Demon torturing him. Castiel sent Balthazar Dean’s way, and after a moment, sent Hannah as well. Sam was being held in the building nearby, and Azazel was there with him. Castiel got Michael’s attention and pointed. Michael signaled to Raphael, who got the message to every Angel who wasn’t currently occupied. Castiel led the charge, Michael and Raphael right behind him, while the rest of the angels surrounded the building.

“Like I was saying,” Sam said when Castiel blew open a wall. “The Angels will come for me, so no, you’re really not doing me a favor.”

Castiel flew to Sam, wrapping him up and carrying him out. Once clear of the building, he stopped and turned back, so they could watch as Michael and Raphael offered Azazel a chance to come home, to be a test subject for their attempts to cleanse the Demons. He smirked as Azazel refused and threw Raphael into a wall. “Azazel may be strong, but he’s up against two Archangels. Lucifer might have a chance, but no lesser Demon.”

“He’s good,” Sam whispered. “I wouldn’t…”

A shot rang out, and as Azazel fell, every face in the area turned to Dean Winchester, standing in the blown-out wall holding a gun Castiel recognized. It belonged to the Angels, and according to legend, could kill anything. Castiel had been studying it, trying to puzzle out the soul imprint he could feel in it. Dean looked as surprised as anyone that Azazel was dead, though. He recovered quickly, walking up to the corpse and spitting on it. “That was for our mom, you son of a bitch.”

Michael looked up to Castiel. “Everyone accounted for? We’re not leaving anyone behind?”

“Unless you want to sweep for bodies. I can’t sense those.”

“Okay. Anyone with a civilian, take them home. Hester, Inias, get Azazel’s corpse and take it to HQ. Everyone else, we’re going to look for dead victims or anything that might help us track down any plans Azazel had set into motion but not finished yet. Castiel, Balthazar, the Winchesters count as civilians. Get them home.”

“Anael, take yours to HQ.” Castiel met Michael’s questioning eyes. “Michael, she’s started conversion. We have to help her.” Michael nodded, so Castiel took off.

A short way into the flight, Sam got Castiel’s attention. “Azazel started conversion on me, too, I think. He did something to me, after Dean’s little jailbreak.”

Castiel nodded. He hadn’t wanted to believe it, but he could feel the darkness that had just begun taking root in Sam’s soul. “Sam, once begun, conversion can’t be stopped that we know of other than death. It’s never been tried, but Michael believes that if caught in time, we can at least make you an Angel instead of a Demon. It’s a difficult process, and at times it will be extremely painful. And you have to go through it alone. Dean and I can’t be there to help you.”

“That’s what Azazel said. Which is why he’d intended to go one at a time. He started me early because of Dean getting out and getting a call off.” Sam wrapped himself around Cas, burying his face in his boyfriend’s neck. “I’m scared, Cas. Scared of who I’m going to become. What if… what if you can’t stop it? What if I become a Demon?”

Castiel held Sam close. “We’ll know very soon. Probably within two weeks. I’m not familiar with the details, but Naomi will tell you as soon as she’s sure there’s no hope for you. And I do know that if something goes wrong during conversion, they will kill you if you ask. I hope it doesn’t come to that, but if it does, you can choose to die rather than become one of them. Or… you heard Michael talking to Azazel. He thinks he has a potential cure for Demons, a way to neutralize them by forcing them to remain in their purely human persona. If you gave consent now, while you’re still clearly yourself, I’m sure he’d have no hesitation to test it on you.”

“You’ll tell Bobby? I’d meant… I’d planned to leave a series of articles covering my time in conversion, if I decided to go through with it, but now…”

“There will be periods where you’ll be fine, where your mind will be your own and you can write. Like now. And then I can try to forge articles from you, if Bobby and Dean will help. I’m sure Bobby can find some way to work around your absence.” Castiel changed course, heading for Balthazar and Dean. Dean needed to know.


	15. Claire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Sam in conversion, Castiel needs something to distract him from that fact. He goes to introduce himself to his daughter.

Bobby promised to keep Dean busy at work to distract him from missing his brother. Castiel tried to do the same, but it wasn’t working. He’d thought maybe spending his down time as Jimmy would work. Jimmy liked Sam, certainly, but he wasn’t attracted the way Castiel was. Even so, Jimmy couldn’t concentrate on anything. But he had an idea.

Which is how Castiel ended up on this porch, ringing the doorbell. Jody answered and gave him a quick hug. “Claire is really excited, but she’s also scared. Do you want me to stick around?”

Castiel nodded as the gratitude swelled. “Yes. Please. At least at first. I have no idea what I’m doing and I’m certain that will become apparent quickly. I’d meant to have Sam with me, but…”

Jody smiled. “Nobody knows what they’re doing when they become parents. I thought I knew, I took on Alex and Claire after losing my son Owen, but it was completely different. Come on.”

Any doubt Castiel had left fled as soon as he saw Claire. She looked so much like her mother at that age. “Hello, Claire.”

“Hi." Claire set down her book and stood up. "Are you my dad?”

Castiel nodded. “I’m sorry. I don’t know if Amelia tried to tell me, but if she did, it never got through. I had no idea she was even pregnant until Sam gave me your mother’s name.”

“Would you have been there for me if you’d known?”

“I don’t know. In the early days, we were encouraged to avoid all contact with our prior lives. We were too new, too shiny. Now, the press understands why we maintain our secrecy, but those first few years, the press was eager to learn anything they could. The safest thing for you would have been to know nothing about me. Once it was safe, I would have reached out, but your mother or Jody might have refused to allow contact. You know what happened, don’t you? You were only a little girl, but you must have heard the story.”

Claire shook her head. “I remember that the press kind of exploded, but not why.”

“An Angel – Abner – had left a wife and children. He struggled with not being permitted to see them. Eventually, he began sneaking out in his human persona to see them once a month. A reporter caught on, and neither she nor her editor ever thought about the consequences that could arise from breaking the story of the Angel with a family.” Castiel paused a moment to calm himself. It had been ten years, and he was still furious at the reporter. “A Demon named Tom took them, tortured them for weeks, and when Abner finally broke and went to save them, killed them all. Abner included.”

Claire's eyes went wide. “So if you’d reached out to me, the same thing could have happened to me? I could have been taken by a Demon?”

“Along with your mother, or Jody and Alex, depending on the timing. It could still happen, but no reputable news program or newspaper will run a story on an Angel’s family or human identity. You’re old enough now, I think, to make the decision, and Jody has agreed. If that’s what you want, then this will be the only time you and I will acknowledge our relationship. I would stay entirely out of your life, but that would force Sam to choose between you and me, and I don’t want to put him in that position. Or, if you’re willing to accept the risk, I’ll acknowledge you as my daughter and attempt to make up for missing the first part of your life. A third possibility is for my human persona to become your father, while Castiel keeps his distance. It puts an extra layer of protection between you and the Demons while still allowing you to have your father.”

“But your human form is barely you anymore, Sam said. I’m already at risk, because Sam’s like my big brother so Demons who wanted to hurt him might go after me. So might as well be your daughter.” Claire jumped up and went to hug Castiel. “Hi, Dad.”


	16. Conversion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam goes through conversion and reunites with his family.

Three weeks after Cold Oak, Ava was released from conversion. With her, they had been too late; she was a Demon. Michael took charge of her, a test subject for his potential cure. Naomi found Castiel. “I’m sorry about Ava. We tried everything we knew and a few things we thought might help.”

“I’m sure you did. What about Sam?”

Naomi smiled. Good sign. “The first week was worse than usual for him, because of the darkness, but as near as we can tell the demonic energy has all been purged. He’ll be an Angel when he comes out.”

The relief that surged through Castiel was unexpected, but welcome. “Thank you. Is he doing all right now?”

“He is. It’s too soon to tell for sure, but I think you’ll find him amazing.” Naomi's smile grew. “One thing I can tell you is that his Angel form is going to be one of the stubbornest we’ve ever known. You should be able to hear from him soon.”

They did; only a couple days later Sam was able to talk to them over Skype. He looked terrible, but was in good spirits aside from missing his family and Cas. After that, they heard from him on Skype once every couple weeks, and he was able to email them most days.

The last Skype chat, Sam looked a little shaken. He finally explained, “Naomi says I should be out in a week, but I’m not going to be able to contact you at all until then. Or I won’t want to, or something.”

Castiel understood. And was a little irked at Naomi for not explaining this to Sam as well as she could have. “This last week, you’ll be fully in your Angel persona. You’ll know who we are, but you won’t necessarily feel any connection to any of us. You'll be so busy with testing to make sure everything developed properly and learning how to control things that emailing us probably won't occur to you. We won’t actually get to meet you until you come out, and you’ll probably be more interested in reporting to Michael than visiting your family.”

“Oh. I can’t imagine any part of me not making Dean a priority, but… I guess we’ll find out." Sam nodded and blinked back tears before making himself smile at them. "May be a while before you get to hear it again, so I love every single one of you, and I hope to come home soon. I guess… I really can’t promise anything, but Human Me wants nothing more than to be out there with you guys. Maybe some of that will bleed over to Angel Me.”

“Sure hope so. We miss you out here, Sammy.” Dean reached out, pressing his fingers to the screen.

One nerve-wracking week later, Castiel sent Sam’s family the news that Sam was coming out of conversion and promised to bring the new angel as soon as he would agree to go. That ended up not taking long at all – after reporting to Michael, he found Castiel. “Take me to them.”

Castiel barely recognized Sam in this new angel. If he hadn’t been expecting Sam, he probably wouldn’t have. “Hello, brother. You’re ready?”

“Yes. Take me home.”

Cas led the way as the two flew together. Everyone had gathered at Jody’s house as soon as Cas sent out the text that he was bringing Sam. “Hello, everyone. It’s good to see you all.”

“Hi.” Dean looked over at Cas. “It was one thing to see the difference between you and Jimmy. Seeing Sam and… what do we call you, anyway?”

“My name is Gadreel.”

“Gadreel, huh? Seeing the difference between Sam and Gadreel is just… that’s not my brother.” Dean still went over and held out a hand. “Good to see you, though.”

Claire came forward. “What happened to your powers? Do you still have anything with Azazel dead?”

Gadreel nodded. “Of course I have the typical powers all Angels have, but thanks to Azazel, I’m going to see visions of possible futures. They’ll come equally well for Sam, so I intend to spend most of my time human. They’re no longer tied to Azazel, I can see any demon, but they’re also no longer reliable. I won’t see every plan.”

“What about Dad?” Claire asked.

Gadreel looked at Castiel. “What about him?”

Claire rolled her eyes. “Are you… whatever Sam felt about him?”

“No. Not as Gadreel. It’s nothing personal, Castiel, I don’t believe I’ll ever think of anyone that way. I see you as the closest of my many new brothers and sisters.”

That was pretty much exactly what Castiel had expected. “Probably just as well.” He put a hand on Claire's shoulder. "Claire, don't worry about it. Gadreel is not Sam any more than Jimmy is me."

Gadreel looked around the family. “Is there anything else you wish to ask of me?” No one had anything, so Gadreel began to glow. Sam was there when the glow faded, and he immediately launched himself into Dean’s arms. “I missed you.”

“Missed you too, little brother.” Dean clung to Sam for far longer than Castiel would have expected from him, given his usual dislike for such shows of affection. “When do you have to go back?”

“I’m supposed to spend a few hours a week at HQ training my wings, and of course if Michael calls or I have a vision, I have to go check in. Other than that, I’m free to do what I want, and I want to be out here with you guys. Gadreel agrees with me, so it’ll be pretty normal again.” Sam went to Castiel, hugging him as well. “Gadreel doesn’t, like Jimmy, but I still do. If anything, conversion intensified it. Is this okay? Us being together even though…”

Castiel hugged back, grateful that things had worked out. “Unless Gadreel has some objection, there’s no reason for it not to be okay. It’s not at all uncommon, and usually, such things help determine which persona is dominant. Since it’s our dominant personas that love each other, we should be able to make it work. If you’re worried, I can talk to Gadreel about it next time you come in for training, but you’d probably know already if it were going to be a problem.”

“Good.” Sam pulled away and looked over to Bobby. "When can I come back to work?"

"I know you're probably lookin' forward to some time off, but get in as soon as you can, boy. Cas and Dean tried, but they ain't you. Newspaper ain't the same without you."


	17. Angel Staff Reporter

Life got back to routine after Azazel's plan and Sam's conversion. Sam took back the reins on his career and almost immediately saw it spiral out of control, Castiel started spending time at the Winchesters' house instead of hiding in his apartment all the time, but things were mostly normal again.

When Claire got sent home from school for exploding some beakers, Jody’s first reaction was to punish Claire for screwing around in science class. When it came out that she wasn’t screwing around, she had been following the directions perfectly and had no idea how the beakers exploded, Jody got curious. And then she talked to the teacher, who explained that somehow Claire had exploded every group’s beaker, not just her own.

After a chat with Michael, it was agreed that Claire would spend summer break going through conversion. She had two Angels to keep an eye on her, so she was not particularly vulnerable to begin with. Waiting until summer would probably not end in disaster. After talking to her teachers, they agreed to let her take her finals early, or to waive them entirely in some classes, so she could start during the last couple weeks.

Sam was not used to being called in to talk to Michael. Oh, sure, Gadreel had been often, but Michael had been very clear that he wanted to talk to Sam. “You wanted to see me?”

Michael waved him in. “Yes. We’ve got a story here that's going to break eventually, and I want it controlled. That means you.”

Sam breathed a quick sigh of relief. “Yes, sir. What’s the story?”

“Rachel. She’s the first of her kind. It’s going to be discovered and reported, and I trust you to do it right. To tell enough of the truth to make it clear what’s happening while holding enough back to protect the innocent people involved.”

“Rachel, sir? Who’s that?” The only Rachel Sam knew was Rachel Nave, his prom date, and he couldn’t imagine any reason for her to be mixed up with Angels. And he was very curious about 'first of her kind'.

“Castiel’s daughter. She’s the first second-generation Angel. Someone, somewhere, is going to sniff that out." 

And Sam would be very insulted if it wasn't him. Although he wouldn't have reported on it, not without Michael's permission. "Are you sure publishing that is a good idea? People might start looking for human-identity connections."

"Honestly, I want this story out there. Yes, there's a risk. I'd appreciate it if you'd remind people of Abner and his family, but your story, you do what you feel is best. But people who get involved with Angels should know, now that we do, that it’s likely hereditary. Claire’s a bit of an anomaly, age-wise. Abner’s the only Angel I know of who had children before joining up, and his kids never got the chance to show any powers they had, and the other children born to Angels are all significantly younger. So we only have one data point, and will for a few years.”

“But there may be other cases like Claire out there, where people left behind children they didn’t know about. Running Claire’s story could have them contacting us looking for answers about their children.”

“Exactly. And that's a good thing - we watch for developing powers, but like with you, sometimes we miss things. They're not all obvious like Claire's." Michael smiled. "You’re a perfect choice for running this story – Rachel happens to be Castiel’s daughter and you’re openly involved with Castiel. I liked your article explaining why you’re taking that risk, by the way.”

Sam laughed. He'd written an article about his relationship with Castiel, and defended it with the logic that he was already the world's biggest target because of his employment by the Angels. He'd been very clear that his situation was unique and discouraged other people from going public with their relationships. “It was a lot of bullshit. I’m taking the risk because I can protect myself and so can everyone in my family.”

“I know. Very inventive.” Michael handed Sam a stack of folders. “This is very sensitive information – every child of an Angel that I know of, along with their parent’s human identities. Keep it safe.”

Sam took the folders. Michael's faith in him never failed to surprise him, but he'd learned not to comment on it. “Of course. When’s Rachel coming out?”

“She’s out. Just waiting for me to be done talking to you to go home and introduce herself.” Michael got to his feet. “Can I just say how useful it is having a reporter around who understands why we need to keep certain things to ourselves and is willing to spin stories in our favor? Don’t get me wrong, Gadreel’s nice to have around too, but having an official staff reporter… that was a great idea you had. I’m glad your human personality turned out dominant.”

“Me too. It’s not like this hasn’t done miracles for my career.” Sam was in high demand for interviews, guest articles… he’d even been asked to write a book. “I think I owe Lilith a fruit basket or something. And then a capture or swift death, of course. But if she hadn’t attacked the Shurley building that day…”

“And I’m sure her own people are giving her the hell she deserves for that. Go on now. Take Rachel to your family.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for coming with me on this! You have no idea how much fun I had writing it. I have a vague idea for a sequel, but no idea when that will happen.

**Author's Note:**

> We all remember Dean's declaration that Castiel being Superman gone dark side made Sam Lois Lane, right? That's where this fic came from. Sorry, I suck at titles.
> 
> Comments are the exact opposite of kryptonite for writers!


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